Maiden Voyage
by Maddy-Claire
Summary: Kit is now married, and the Captain's wife on board The Witch. Nat has promised to take her home and visit Barbados.   Told in Kit's 1st person narrative.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER**: **Yeah, everyone knows I'm not Elizabeth George Spear, and that I don't own her work, but just to let you know...I don't own anything. **

**A/N: Super excited about this one! Witch of Blackbird Pond is one of my all time favorite books, so this is also gonna be a toughy to write. I'm thinking of doing a chapter a week...updating on Sundays? I'll probably do more sometimes.**

**PLEASE review and let me know what you think. I know there aren't many common fans between DP series and WOBP, but what the hey! Ok, here we go...  
**

_Prologue_

I stood on the dock, waiting for the ceaseless flow of heavy boxes, filled with provisions for the long journey, to ebb. I wasn't even on board the boat yet, and already I was talking like a sea-farer! I sighed a deep contented sigh, looking up at the beautiful ship that was our pride and joy. In the last year I'd learned to love any kind of ship, but especially this one. Especially when Nat was with me.

"Mistress Eaton!" a young sailor called out to me. I turned rather happily, my skirts swishing around me, to face Arnold Dempsy, Nat's right-hand. "Are you ready?"

"Now?" I gasped. Nat was nowhere to be seen. I wasn't even ready yet.

"Go, Kit," Judith urged. She'd been the only one able to get away to come see me off. I'd said good-bye to Mercy and John, and Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matthew, and even William, the night before. The night of my wedding.

"Oh, Judith, good-bye," I hugged her.

"You'll be back next summer," Judith reminded me, muffled by my hair.

I turned away from my cousin and bravely walked toward young Arnold. Nat had tried his hardest to give new sailors a job onboard his new ship. It meant more to him, giving them a chance, than getting real veterans. So most of the crew was my age, or slightly older.

Arnold helped me into the rowboat, and I settled my skirts. How glad I was to get away from this dreary place. Being so close to going home, for Nat promised me would stop sometime in Barbados, made me realize all the more how different these two places were.

Just when I was feeling disappointed that Nat wouldn't be there when I boarded, I heard, "Dempsey, do you have my wife?"

"Aye, Captain, she's here!" And Nat came swinging out of nowhere, onto the ladder. His tan face was practically lit up from his easy smile. I had a smile, too, as I watched him come down the ladder. I never would have imagined myself with a man like Nat: strong and able from working on the sea, with a towhead and bright blue eyes. But there he was, making the small rowboat rock as he jumped into it.

"After you," he said.

I got a firm hold on the ladder, and with Nat right behind me, climbed onto _The Witch. _Nat stood next to me. He leaned into me to whisper, "For keeps."

"Everything's ready," Nat told me, still grinning. "We were just waiting on the witch herself, to set sail."

"Everything?" I questioned. The dock had still looked like a flurry of activity. But before my eyes, the crew members were boarding, and then Nat was overseeing the dropping of ropes.

"Come with me, Kit," Nat said. He helped me up the stairs, to the wheel. The wind blew my hair about me, and I could already taste the life on the sea.

Nat made a huge show of taking the wheel, and all the men applauded and cheered. For many, this was their first professional voyage, too. I clapped my hands at the sight of Nat so happy. Then the sails were dropped, and we could hear people onshore clapping, too, for this new vessel.

"Congratulations, Captain," I called to Nat from the rail.

"Not a very impressive prospect, yet," Nat laughed. "But you know how it is when we're at high sea, in the middle of the ocean."

I just smiled and nodded, because the cheers would have drowned me out.

I went below decks, to see the rest of the ship. Unlike the _Dolphin_, this new ship didn't have the stink of horses, or dust clinging to the walls. I would make sure that _The Witch_ stayed as new as ever. One of my biggest dislikes was cleaning, but I'd learned to deal with it in Connecticut.

Crew members bustled past me, all excited about the maiden voyage.

"Mistress Eaton, the Captain's courters are that way." The sailor who'd stopped to direct me hurried away. I knew that in due time I'd learn everyone's names, just like Nat's mother had. It didn't bother me that they were all just faces to me now. And since he'd pointed the way, I decided that I might as well see where I'd be staying. I realized now that I was actually excited to see it.

A sign hung on the door, in newly painted letter's _Captain and Mistress Eaton's Cabin. _I laughed to see he'd included me on the sign. He hadn't even known I would be with him when _The Witch_ was built. Or, at least I never thought so. I opened the door to a wide room. Bigger than the other cabins, I knew. A wide bed, chests and furniture enough for two filled the room. It even had a window!

Nat had brought all my things. They were all set up around this perfect room. I looked out the window, and realized it was getting late. I would explore the rest before supper.

A ship is like a maze, as I learned coming to Connecticut. You will never learn your way unless you travel it day after day of a long journey. I would have trouble at first, I knew, but with so much time ahead of me…. The thought of staying on a ship for so long suddenly scared me…not about the dangers, but the monotony. But this journey was different from our last. We would be stopping many interesting places. And this time I actually had a reason to talk to Nat all the time. He wasn't just the Captain's son anymore.

I heard someone hollering above deck. There was laughter and calls, beckoning me above. The first day was done, and now the sailors were celebrating again.

**Hope you enjoyed! Like always, sorry for any mistakes, and happy fanfic-ing : D**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is a set up...I know where I'm going with this. Now I just need to get there.**

The next day, I woke up to being alone. I rubbed my arms, for a moment feeling…well lonely. But I knew it would be like this when I came aboard, so I got up. The day was a short one, because of how new everything was. We were already out of sight of land. It was so different from the last journey I had taken on a boat.

"Kit?" someone asked me. I was standing at the very back deck…the stern as Nat would put it. Not meaning to, but looking where there once was land.

"Oh…hello." I should have known it was Nat. No one else on board called me by name.

"Looking back already?" He tried to make a joke, but he looked troubled.

"Of course not!" I said. "Nat, no. Of course not."

Nat stood next to me for a moment without talking. For some reason I couldn't stop looking at him.

"Everyone on board is more than happy to talk with you, you know, if you ever feel bored. And you have all your books, don't you?" Nat asked hurriedly. I felt so bad that he was worried about me.

"I promise you, I'm fine."

He finally met my eye. Without even looking to see if anyone was watching, he bent down. Nat's hands felt so good around my waist, and his lips felt even better on mine. I thought that good feeling would last. It didn't.

_Weeks later_

We'd been on board for a very long time. The ship had stopped a few different places, but otherwise, it had been a straight sail to Barbados. I hadn't felt lonely on the ship after that day. If Nat wasn't with me, I talked with someone else. They were all good to Mistress Eaton.

Now I could get away from formality. In Barbados I could be another girl, having a wonderful time. The sailors all promised to look the other way, and pretend that a week wasn't a terribly long time to be in port. I would be embarrassed that they knew Nat was doing it for me, but I couldn't be.

The island was beautiful this time of year. Any time of year.

"Mistress Eaton, we're unloading," a sailor, Jed I learned was his name, told me.

We walked together to where the gangplank was laid. We'd become friends, and we had a lot to talk about. But I would be so happy when I could just _be_ with Nat, like at Hannah's house.

"Come on!" Jed shouted to me, sliding down. I laughed at him as he slid into Nat.

"Whoa, I'm sorry Captain!"

"Just get along," Nat pretended to shout. They both smiled, before Jed tipped his head to me, and then ambled along.

"Would you like to see the place?" Nat asked me.

"I think I should be showing you around, not the other way around," I laughed.

"Not the island. We've got plenty of time for that. Where we're staying!"

"We're not staying on _The Witch?" _I asked.

Nat shook his head. "I'll show you."

We walked along the streets that merchants and gawkers lined, and this part of Barbados wasn't really that different from America, but it felt like it.

Nat walked out of the city, and into one of the better villages. He stopped in front of an inn.

"I got us somewhere real to stay." He smiled.

"You didn't have to!" I said.

"I know."He gave me one of those grins…those ones that used to come rarely...and I smiled back.


	3. Chapter 3 for rizzle

**Wow, so I just found this on my computer. Someone (thankfully) told me that two of the chapters were the same, and I realized I hadn't uploaded the right one. So here's chapter three. Not sure if I'll be writing anymore of this one. Anyone who wants to finish it is welcome to. Like a round-robin : ) Let me know it if that happens!**

**Anyway, here we go:  
**

Those last two days on the island had been great. Nat and I had spent most of our time on the sandy beaches near the city, where it was safest. The beauty of the island was still incredible, but the city marred some of it.

Nat had taken me swimming one night, and dancing the next. That day he had to go back to the ship, unfortunately. One of the sails had ripped. He'd asked me if I wanted to come, but I told him I would stay.

The truth was that Nat had asked me where my old house was, on our first day. I'd said I didn't remember. The truth was that I did. It was on the other side of the city, a huge mansion that anyone could spot. It sat on the biggest hill, it's deep purple color contrasting the forest behind it. I didn't know why I hadn't told Nat. But that day I walked to it.

I stood far away but could see perfectly the place I grew up. Amazingly nothing had changed. I had thought that…I found it hard to say…that man hadn't changed a thing. Although there was now a path to the ocean. I hadn't wanted one. It didn't feel free.

A maid came out the front door and looked right at me. She squinted, and came forward. She looked familiar, but I didn't want her coming to talk, to I turned and walked away. She called after me, but I didn't look back.

"Kit, where were you?" Nat asked.

"I was just looking around," I said.

He took my hand in both of his. "You said that the little fishing market is a good spot to swim?" he asked, not asking where I went.

I nodded. Yes it was a good place to swim. Not the safest of places, but all the servants shopped there. Besides, I wasn't worried with Nat with me.

"We should go today," he said. "We only have five days left!"

"Alright," I agreed.

I was dressed in my coolest dress, trying to keep from getting too hot. We had a long walk through the damp forest until we finally came to the village. Nat passed boldly through on the way to the beach. I saw the looks we got, and hoped no one would take badly to us being there.

But the beach was out of sight of the village. It was out of sight of everything, really, except the ocean.

"Come on!"

Nat ran along the beach and dove into the waves without taking off anything. I paused, looking around, before following him in.

"The water feels so warm," Nat said.

"But so refreshing!"

"So much different from Connecticut?" Nat raised his eyebrows at me.

"Yes, so much different."

Nat swam lazily over to me. Then dove toward me. "I need to rescue this lady who just fell in!" Nat yelled. I laughed. "She fell in and can't swim…wait, she's swimming past me. I just jumped in for nothing!"

"You tried to help," I said.

Nat went under and I waited for him to come back up to ask if he'd been really mad that day. But instead he pulled me under, and when I came back up I was completely soaked.

"Now I won't be able to go back to town," I said.

"We can sit in the sun," Nat reasoned. "Our clothes will dry in no time."

We laid down on the beach after swimming out of the water. Nat fell down with his arm out sideways, and I settled down next to him.

"This is how I wanted to lay when we were on Hannah's roof," Nat admitted with his eyes closed. "But I never would have offered a lady my arm as a headrest."

"Now I'm not a lady?" I asked.

"You're my wife now, you pretty much gave me permission to offer it, that's all," Nat laughed.

I stopped laughing when I heard someone coming from behind us.

"Get away from her!" a woman shouted.

Nat and I both looked up in confusion.

"Get away," she said. I recognized her. She was the woman from my old house. "Katherine, come here this instant."

"How do you know me?" I said, still kneeling on the ground.

"Get out of here!" she kept yelling at Nat.

"Kit, let's go," Nat said. I took his hand and we both slowly got up.

"Sir," the woman called. "Miss Tyler is trying to run off with a young man."

"Wait this is no Miss Tyler," Nat tried to explain.

Out of the forest from behind the woman, the man she was calling for came walking slowly. I instantly knew who he was. He was the man who bought the house and forced me to run.

"Mr. Stanford," I whispered.

"Step aside son," Stanford said. "Let my maid come with us. She would be too much trouble anyway."

I was so confused I didn't register why Nat let go of my hand until I saw Stanford was holding a gun. I noticed he had one more ring on his fingers-it was a wedding ring. He was married.

The woman grabbed me and was surprisingly too strong to break free of. Nat tried to follow me, but Stanford fired his gun. Nat fell back in the sand from the shock.

"No!" I finally pushed her over, just for Stanford to pick me up.

"I'll get to you, Kit," Nat promised.


End file.
